Peri Peri Sauce

Smoky, tangy Portuguese-African hot sauce with charred vegetables and chilli heat.

Ingredients

• 1 onion, quartered
• 1 red capsicum
• 7 fresh chillies (adjust to taste)
• 1 lemon (juice and zest)
• 70g white vinegar
• 10g smoked paprika
• 1/2g dried oregano
• 3g ground black pepper
• 8 cloves garlic (5 for cooking, 3 raw)
• 15g light brown sugar
• 1 bay leaf
• 18g whiskey
• 1-2 tbsp honey
• 120ml vegetable oil
• Salt to taste
• Water or lemon juice to loosen

Method

1. Char vegetables: Grill quartered onion and whole red capsicum until charred and blistered. Place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and steam for 10 minutes.
2. Peel capsicum and remove seeds. Roughly chop onion and capsicum.
3. Blend first mixture: In a blender, add charred onion, capsicum, chillies, lemon juice and zest, white vinegar, smoked paprika, oregano, black pepper, and 5 cloves garlic. Blend until smooth.
4. Cook sauce: Pour blended mixture into a saucepan. Add light brown sugar, bay leaf, and whiskey. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Final blend: Return sauce to blender. Add water or lemon juice to loosen if needed. Add salt to taste and honey.
6. While blending, slowly stream in vegetable oil to emulsify. Add 3 raw garlic cloves and blend until smooth.
7. Strain sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into an ice bath to cool quickly.
8. Store in sterilised jars in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Nutrition (whole recipe, approximate)

Notes

Adjust chilli quantity based on heat preference. Start with fewer chillies for a milder sauce.

Great as a marinade for chicken, drizzled over grilled meats, or as a dipping sauce.

Source: Josh Weissman

Tags: #african